Does K20D have better AF-C than K10?

MBrannon · 04-04-2009, 08:32 PM

Now that my income tax has come in, I've been considering a body upgrade. I presently have the K10, and the pricing , not to mention the extra resolution on the K20 has been looking pretty attractive.

Most of my shooting is in wildlife photography, airshows, racing etc. I know that Pentax is probably not the best choice for this kind of photography, but I like my Pentax, and I feel that I've been doing pretty well with what I have. I don't want to spend a couple of thousand bucks to get the equipment I presently have but in a different brand.

From those who have upgraded, do you notice the AF-C (continuous auto focus) being any faster/better than in the K10, or is it about the same? I'm just wondering if I should jump on the good price of the K20, or wait and see what Pentax comes out with next. Because whatever they come out with next will surely be priced much higher.

Thanks in advance for any replies...

**felixkh** · 04-04-2009, 10:09 PM

Like you, I too had the K10D which I took over from a friend. After seeing him and the rest of the gang taking superb shots one after another, I decided to jump into the K20D and just got it last Wednesday. Now I am trying it out indoors and outdoors too but the weather has been balmy of late.

I would say this "Go for it, my friend"

RiceHigh · 04-05-2009, 01:00 AM

Yes, for what it was tested and reported by an user, who had both bodies:-

RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Improved Continuous AF Tracking of the K20D

But however, do note also that Single AF's speed can be pathetic, see this:-

http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2009/01/af-speed-difference-of-k-m-vs-k20d.html

The K-m is better here, despite its AF motor is weaker than the K20's.

Originally posted by MBrannon

Now that my income tax has come in, I've been considering a body upgrade. I presently have the K10, and the pricing , not to mention the extra resolution on the K20 has been looking pretty attractive.

Most of my shooting is in wildlife photography, airshows, racing etc. I know that Pentax is probably not the best choice for this kind of photography, but I like my Pentax, and I feel that I've been doing pretty well with what I have. I don't want to spend a couple of thousand bucks to get the equipment I presently have but in a different brand.

From those who have upgraded, do you notice the AF-C (continuous auto focus) being any faster/better than in the K10, or is it about the same? I'm just wondering if I should jump on the good price of the K20, or wait and see what Pentax comes out with next. Because whatever they come out with next will surely be priced much higher.

Thanks in advance for any replies...

MBrannon · 04-05-2009, 07:17 PM

Thanks for the responses. So, you both feel that the AF-C works a bit better on the K20 then? Any other opinions out there?

rburgoss · 04-06-2009, 06:59 AM

Originally posted by MBrannon

snip...

From those who have upgraded, do you notice the AF-C (continuous auto focus) being any faster/better than in the K10, or is it about the same? I'm just wondering if I should jump on the good price of the K20, or wait and see what Pentax comes out with next. Because whatever they come out with next will surely be priced much higher....

I dunno about the K10D, but AF-C from my ist-D was almost "useless". Not accurate at all. With my K20D the AF-C setting is A LOT BETTER, being usable in real world situations.

HermanLee · 04-06-2009, 08:18 AM

I don't know if you want to compare it with K100D or not,
but I can say that K20D's AF-C is way much better than my old K100D.
It's still not perfectly accurate but it's much faster and better than K100D.

Hope this helps.

Confused · 04-06-2009, 11:43 AM

Hi MBrannon

I'm afraid I can't comment on the K20D, but it has been my experience that when the K10D is switched to continuous AF mode, the internal mechanism of the camera goes into a kind of 'hyper-active' dithering routine. The electronics / optics seem to find great difficulty deciding precisely what to lock onto, whilst never entirely succeeding ! After much experimentation, I've settled on using centre focus mode in combination with single Auto Focus on the K10D and that seems to lead to far less 'hunting'. Admittedly I don't specialise in taking action or sports photography, so AF problems have never really bothered me much in this respect. Don't take this as absolute gospel, but I also understand that the contrast (or often lack thereof) of a given lens usually has a marked influence on how well it performs in conjunction with an AF system.

Best regards
Richard

Last edited by Confused; 04-07-2009 at 03:53 PM.

04-04-2009, 08:32 PM	#1
MBrannon Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 161	Does K20D have better AF-C than K10? Now that my income tax has come in, I've been considering a body upgrade. I presently have the K10, and the pricing , not to mention the extra resolution on the K20 has been looking pretty attractive. Most of my shooting is in wildlife photography, airshows, racing etc. I know that Pentax is probably not the best choice for this kind of photography, but I like my Pentax, and I feel that I've been doing pretty well with what I have. I don't want to spend a couple of thousand bucks to get the equipment I presently have but in a different brand. From those who have upgraded, do you notice the AF-C (continuous auto focus) being any faster/better than in the K10, or is it about the same? I'm just wondering if I should jump on the good price of the K20, or wait and see what Pentax comes out with next. Because whatever they come out with next will surely be priced much higher. Thanks in advance for any replies...

04-05-2009, 01:00 AM	#3
RiceHigh Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,934	Probably Yes. Yes, for what it was tested and reported by an user, who had both bodies:- RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Improved Continuous AF Tracking of the K20D But however, do note also that Single AF's speed can be pathetic, see this:- http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2009/01/af-speed-difference-of-k-m-vs-k20d.html The K-m is better here, despite its AF motor is weaker than the K20's. Originally posted by MBrannon Now that my income tax has come in, I've been considering a body upgrade. I presently have the K10, and the pricing , not to mention the extra resolution on the K20 has been looking pretty attractive. Most of my shooting is in wildlife photography, airshows, racing etc. I know that Pentax is probably not the best choice for this kind of photography, but I like my Pentax, and I feel that I've been doing pretty well with what I have. I don't want to spend a couple of thousand bucks to get the equipment I presently have but in a different brand. From those who have upgraded, do you notice the AF-C (continuous auto focus) being any faster/better than in the K10, or is it about the same? I'm just wondering if I should jump on the good price of the K20, or wait and see what Pentax comes out with next. Because whatever they come out with next will surely be priced much higher. Thanks in advance for any replies...

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04-04-2009, 10:09 PM	#2
felixkh Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,201	Like you, I too had the K10D which I took over from a friend. After seeing him and the rest of the gang taking superb shots one after another, I decided to jump into the K20D and just got it last Wednesday. Now I am trying it out indoors and outdoors too but the weather has been balmy of late. I would say this "Go for it, my friend"

04-05-2009, 07:17 PM	#4
MBrannon Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 161 Original Poster	Thanks for the responses. So, you both feel that the AF-C works a bit better on the K20 then? Any other opinions out there?

04-06-2009, 06:59 AM	#5
rburgoss Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, Costa Rica Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 972	Originally posted by MBrannon snip... From those who have upgraded, do you notice the AF-C (continuous auto focus) being any faster/better than in the K10, or is it about the same? I'm just wondering if I should jump on the good price of the K20, or wait and see what Pentax comes out with next. Because whatever they come out with next will surely be priced much higher.... I dunno about the K10D, but AF-C from my ist-D was almost "useless". Not accurate at all. With my K20D the AF-C setting is A LOT BETTER, being usable in real world situations.

04-06-2009, 08:18 AM	#6
HermanLee Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Southern California, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 729	I don't know if you want to compare it with K100D or not, but I can say that K20D's AF-C is way much better than my old K100D. It's still not perfectly accurate but it's much faster and better than K100D. Hope this helps.

04-06-2009, 11:43 AM	#7
Confused Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 1,067	Hi MBrannon I'm afraid I can't comment on the K20D, but it has been my experience that when the K10D is switched to continuous AF mode, the internal mechanism of the camera goes into a kind of 'hyper-active' dithering routine. The electronics / optics seem to find great difficulty deciding precisely what to lock onto, whilst never entirely succeeding ! After much experimentation, I've settled on using centre focus mode in combination with single Auto Focus on the K10D and that seems to lead to far less 'hunting'. Admittedly I don't specialise in taking action or sports photography, so AF problems have never really bothered me much in this respect. Don't take this as absolute gospel, but I also understand that the contrast (or often lack thereof) of a given lens usually has a marked influence on how well it performs in conjunction with an AF system. Best regards Richard Last edited by Confused; 04-07-2009 at 03:53 PM.